Rewritten
by CrazyMel93
Summary: With only Jack and Gwen alive, Torchwood is no more. The future of the Earth is now at stake. Can the past be rewritten to save the future? It is the only hope...
1. Prologue

Prologue

London, 2035.

Stars danced in the night sky forming new constellations like a painting on a blank canvas; each a brilliant masterpiece. The moon took its place as guardian, watching the Earth below its God like presence. All was quiet: too quiet. No bombs fell from the sky, like rain falls from the clouds. No missiles darted through the air. The streets were empty; no aliens patrolling alongside the human army. Instead there was nothing. Nothing but silence. Surely this was not a good sign. Fifteen years of bombs and missiles invading the Earth and then nothing. It could not end as easily as that. Wars are more complicated than that; some sort of an agreement has to be made at least. There is no way this could ever be the end of the war. Not tonight.

The Earth was a completely different place compared to how it used to be. The older generation often tell tales of the Old Earth, where aliens were yet to be discovered and when they were, all evidence was covered up. The new generation did not believe those tales of old, they wanted proof but there was none to give. Since the war started, all records and archives, books and even the World Wide Web was destroyed. Earth became a world of war. A battle field. Death and destruction covered the world: no hope could be found anywhere. The future looked bleak, soon there would be no one left to carry the fire…

One legend gave people hope, only for a while. A legend that would travel the world: spoken and told in every language known to man. The legend of a man and his team so great, that battled against alien threats everyday risking their lives to save the world. Torchwood. A team of ordinary humans who were chosen by the immortal man: Captain Jack Harkness. If ever the team were in danger, Captain Jack Harkness would always die for them, only to come back to life shortly after. But how could they give people hope? The legend supposedly came from the year 2008 and there is no evidence of whether they truly did exist. Just a note. One single note left in every city in the world. _Torchwood will always carry the flame. Just believe._ No one knows who left the notes, but whoever it was they must have been a great man or completely insane. Supposedly the Torchwood team all died: all except Jack and a woman. But the hope soon died once people realised Torchwood was never coming back to help.

One man and his team with their alien technology. If only they were alive now to see how the world had become. Some people still believe they will find us and save the world once more, you can see it in their eyes. Just a glimmer of hope, that one day soon our lives will be saved and the Earth shall be free from alien threats. Hope that will only lead to disappointment. No one could save us. Not even Torchwood. This was the end of the world as we knew it.


	2. Chapter One: Possessed

Chapter One: Possessed

Sometimes it can feel significantly difficult to forget the world and all the problems life throws at you. One day you go to sleep and wake up the next morning to a new dawn. The dawn of a new day. Every day holds the opportunities for yet more experience within life, whether that may be good or bad. As human beings, we instinctively find the will to battle through any hardship that we may be presented with, but of course there are always those that fall. It is inevitable that those who are weaker show signs of being defeated; this is always a permanent defeat because they never wake up to a new dawn. Instead they wallow in the depths of darkness amongst the hands of Death.

Death would be an easier place to bear, especially for Jack, but of course he knew that he would never be defeated, no matter how much he longed for it to happen. Surviving wars and accidents, he would forever rise to see a new dawn. How could that be a blessing? Seeing the world slowly fall to pieces day by day as the universe changes, leaving no room for a primitive species. Watching people you love wither and die before your eyes, unable to save them. For someone like Jack, it was most definitely a curse. All he longed for was to sleep an eternal sleep, resting in the darkness cradled by peace. Hoping was no longer an option; the Doctor had no cure to his immortal state, only that he was a fixed point in time and space that could not be erased. Jack was permanent – he wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

Cardiff, 2008.

Silence. No one spoke; they did not want to be the first to ask but the last to answer. The atmosphere in the Hub wasn't right, usually it was warm and there was always laughter. Not today. It was cold and heartless. They were like stone, not one of them moved. The expressions on their faces were fierce and unwelcoming as they stared at one another. Their eyes, not their faces, showed exactly what they were feeling deep down inside, especially Owen's.

His eyes were full of hatred and loneliness as he stared viciously at Jack; there was always a reason for Owen to hate him. Anger boiled his blood, slowly over powering him. He knew that if he lashed out at Jack he would get the sack; he didn't care. Not anymore. Owen didn't seem to care about anything or anyone for that matter. After Dianne Holmes, the lost girl from the 1950's, left with Owen's heart he struggled to find a reason to wake up in the morning. Owen hurt so much inside. Why should he be the one to pick up all the shit the universe dumps on Earth? Owen knew he couldn't leave this job behind. How could he ever live a 'normal' life after the things he'd seen and done? After all, Torchwood was the last thing he had left in the world. But that was nothing compared to how Jack felt.

Jack's eyes showed emptiness. Nothing. Just darkness. His stare, ice cold, was deadly serious but sorrowful. He didn't belong there – he was lost. Jack longed to be found. He had never felt like he belonged, but of course he simply did not belong anywhere. Jack was impossible. Non-existent but so blatantly there. The one thing that bothered him the most was the fact that he could not do a single thing about it. Jack was forced to watch on as the universe aged and died, leaving him behind, all alone. His thoughts reverted back to Rose and the Doctor: the day he died, the day he was pulled back to life all the way. Sometimes he wondered whether he should blame Rose, but then how could he? Rose saved his life because she couldn't bare his loss; she couldn't control the time vortex. Besides, she gave Jack a purpose: fight and defend. A true soldier. A tear slid down his cheek as the memories flashed in front of his eyes; a life so impossible yet so very real. If only he didn't have to be left behind…

"That is it! I can't take this silence anymore, it's unbearable. Someone say something!" Gwen's voice scolded the still air agitated by the never-ending silence.

"What is there to say?" Jacked cleared his throat and brushed the tear from his cheek.

"Jack, please tell me you've gotten over the deal with the Rift. It was the only way."

Owen kicked his chair to the floor, "You know what? Fuck you Harkness! At least I did my duty."

"Owen sit down! What's done is done; no one can change what happened." Jack tried to calm Owen, albeit only a little.

"Then why don't you be our leader and give us some fucking orders already, instead of sulking like a child."

"I'll make some coffee, shall I?" Ianto left abruptly, not wanting to get in the way of Owen's feud with Jack.

Unable to deal with the likes of Owen, Jack lost his patience, "You want orders? Go home, all of you! Now!"

"Jack, don't do this please." Gwen's calm voice was suddenly cut off by the sound of screams. The sound was agonizing, piercing screams of torture filled the Hub, getting increasingly louder. Gwen, Owen and Toshiko clamped their hands to their ears as they fell to the floor, while Jack hurriedly pressed numerous buttons on his wristband. Nothing happened. Confused, Jack grabbed his pistol and walked over towards the water tower.

"What the hell?" Jack could no longer hear the screams and yet Gwen, Owen and Toshiko were still lying on the floor in agony. He stepped away from the water tower and the screams instantly resumed. Jack was absolutely stunned. The only thing he could do was to get the others next to the water tower. He kept his pistol in one hand and flung Gwen onto his shoulder with the other; Owen tugged on Toshiko's blouse and tried to pull her in the direction of Jack.

"It's stopped." Toshiko was more than pleased to regain her hearing now that the piercing screams came to a halt.

Jack set Gwen back on her feet. "Actually is hasn't stopped. You just can't hear the screams when you are next to the water tower. Don't ask me why. I'm just as stunned as you all are." Jack stared at the three of them in horror, "Ianto!"

* * *

"Holy shit. What was that?" Thrilled that Ianto had regained consciousness, Jack kissed him fiercely.

"Have I ever told you that I love hearing those beautiful Welsh Vowels?"

"You may have mentioned it once before." Rubbing his throbbing head, Ianto turned to face Owen who was beside the autopsy table. "What's the diagnosis doc? Any damage?"

"Well, you'll have a sore head for a few days but other than that you should be fine." Owen paused looking from Jack to Ianto. "There is one thing. I was looking back through the security videos and I found this…"

The projection on the wall came to life: Ianto began to set out mugs in a very particular order. As he put one down the mug flew to the floor and smashed, the same happened for all five of the mugs. Ianto froze in disbelief. "Jack. Guys, is anything unusual happening down there?"

Cautiously, he bent down picking up the shattered pieces of china and tossed them in the bin. Ianto knew something wasn't quite right and decided to make his way back to the others. As he moved a step forward he was thrown backwards against the wall like a toy, he remained pinned up to the wall almost as if someone was holding him there. A bright light burst through the room; the piercing screams commenced. Ianto was left floating in the middle of the room five feet off the ground, his head facing towards the heavens and his mouth wide open allowing the screams to fill the air. Suddenly darkness filled the Hub, the only light coming from Ianto's eyes which shone brighter than the most precious rubies. "Rained poured from the heavens. Lighting split the sky. Thunder raged in anger. Flames rose from hell. Torchwood will…"

Owen cut the projection as the rest of the team stared in astonishment. "I've checked it over and over, it stops there. The security videos have been dead ever since."

Ianto swallowed in disbelief, "I didn't… That…that wasn't me. I don't remember any of it."

"I'm afraid you wouldn't. Even if you did, the bump to your head would have wiped all traces of any recognition. I've ran checks and nothing shows any abnormalities, well apart from the video. All his vital signs are as they should be; there are no signs of abnormal energy flow and there is nothing that could have caused the flash of light. I have no idea what happened."

Jack paced back and forth nervous of what this event might bring, "So something or someone came into my home, uninvited, smashed my mugs, then possessed and hurt a member of my staff, and finally tried to deafen the rest of us. I am not happy." Raising his head to face the heavens, he shouted, "Do you hear me? I - am - not - happy!"


	3. Chapter Two: Messenger

Chapter Two: Messenger

Darkness surrounded the streets, smothering civilisation in an endless black blanket. Bodies lay strewn everywhere; bodies of both humans and aliens, bodies of the dead, the live and the barely living. Buildings were either completely demolished or there were only ruins left. Cardiff wasn't the only destroyed city; word had it that the whole world was in ruins. Something in the air gave the impression that this wasn't the end. There is worse yet to come.

_There is worse yet to come._ Those words ran through her blood like poison, killing every ounce of fight she had left. Bitter tears ran down her bruised face as she fell to her knees, her fists pounding the ground. Anger flashed across her eyes as she screamed into the night. Why spend so long fighting after she had lost so much? Her family, her friends, everyone she loved had gone. _I gave you my word. I promised I would never give up._ Every inch of her body was aching – aching from the memories of seeing so many people perish. She thought about her parents: her mother nagging her father about their insurance policy while Michael lay in his pram cuddling his teddy bear. _Why did they have to die?_ The sound of little Michael crying with all his might never left her for a second. _Michael!_ The memory was still so real, it hurt so much. She curled herself into a ball and lay there on the blood stained ground crying with every beat of her dying heart.

* * *

"Everyone's gone home. It's been a long night; you need your sleep after today." Jack's sweet voice shattered the unnerving silence.

"Somehow I don't think I'll get much sleep." Ianto's expression was haunted; he knew something was approaching him. If only he knew what. "Jack, I have the feeling that something else is following. If I fall asleep who knows what will happen."

Jack knew Ianto was right, not that he wanted him too know. "Ianto. You will be fine. I promise. Now go sleep." He moved in towards Ianto and kissed him softly on the lips. "Good night."

Ianto made his way home through the cold night air, he would have caught a taxi but he needed space to think. He didn't have any recollection of what happened, and yet he felt as though he was changing deep down inside. The thought of it made his stomach churn. Something was using him as a gateway to this world, but why? Ianto was positive about one thing; they would find him and use him again. Ianto flung himself into the turning of an alleyway and threw up the contents of his stomach. Using all the strength he had left, he dragged himself back to his apartment and shakily unlocked the door. _This is ridiculous. I've just had a bad day, that's all._ Feeling like he had been in a punch up with someone considerably bigger in size, he made his way into the shower. The ice cold water soothed his aching muscles, relaxed his mind and calmed his nerves. Once he felt somewhat alleviated, he fumbled out of the shower and over towards the bed. Ianto was out before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

When she slept, she only ever dreamed of her family, of Michael. Tonight wasn't any different to any other night, the same dream played for the thirteenth night. Michael lay in his cot hugging his teddy so tightly he was crushing it. His eyes shined brighter than the most precious emerald in the world. His cute little smile suddenly began to quiver; she knew he would cry; he never did like silence. Before he could bring himself to tears she began to sing his song. His frightened little face swiftly changed into a face of serene happiness. Soon he was fast asleep with his teddy by his side. She leaned in to kiss him good night when suddenly everything went black. She always woke up after she had kissed him. Why couldn't she wake up? Unexpectedly the sound of trees blowing in the wind began to consume her mind. A light appeared, which seemed much too bright, allowing her to make out a figure standing before her in her dream. She moved closer to him with caution. He held out his hand towards her, reassuring her that everything was safe. She placed her hand in his and studied his face. His eyes seemed so old, older than anything on Earth; as she stared into his eyes she saw into his tortured soul: the lost soldier. From that moment on she knew deep in her heart that she could trust him with her life.

Tears escaped from her eyes, she didn't mean to cry. She didn't want to, not now at least. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and cradled her face in his hands. Slowly he moved his face closer to hers and looked deep into her eyes. "Torchwood will always carry the flame. Just believe." His voice sounded intense and yet she was certain she didn't see his lips move. Before she could respond he kissed her forehead and smiled. Then everything turned black.

* * *

The absence of dreams did not bother Ianto; in fact he was grateful for it. His body really did feel exhausted after playing host to another being. By some miracle he found the he was not worrying about the earlier events of that day or the prospect of another visitor: he was safe asleep. Ianto found himself falling deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, but all was still. Unexpectedly he felt a shiver rise through his mind as the darkness grew. Panic started to arise in his mind until everything turned to nothing. Ianto wasn't aware whether he was alive or dead.

"Ianto." A sweet voice called his mind back into existence. Delirious, he couldn't understand what was happening. "Ianto." The voice called again when the owner of the voice appeared before him surrounded by darkness. Her face was bruised and her eyes were red and tired. For some reason Ianto thought her soul was tortured, almost as if…

"Ianto. Please listen to me." Her voice cut off his train of thought; she had his attention. "Ianto, you must listen to what I say." Tears began to fall down her tender face. "When the Children of Earth rise, Ianto, you will die."

Ianto was thrashed back to consciousness, covered in sweat and his breath short. Panic stricken, he reached over to his mobile, neatly placed on his bedside table, and pressed speed dial.

"Jack. It's me. Ianto."

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
I hope you like this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it. Chapter three will be on it's way soon! Please review and let me know what you think; it would be nice to know whether this is any good. I hope you guys like this. If you get slightly confused as to who two people are, all will become clear soon enough. Thanks for reading. Enjoy.

Specialfrancine: Thank you for your review, I really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter.

Mel ~


	4. Chapter Three: Revived

Chapter Three: Revived

Locking away his fear, Jack turned to look Ianto in the eye desperately wanting to reassure him that he was safe, but Jack knew this wasn't true. For as long as Ianto worked for Torchwood his life would always be endangered. Besides, Jack had no clue as to what exactly they were dealing with; whatever it was, it was not going to end well. As Jack looked deep into Ianto's blue eyes, a tear fell down Ianto's cheek glistening in the light of the HUB.

"Jack. I'm… I'm going to die." Ianto's voice cut through the cold, silent air like a knife cutting through flesh.

Toshiko walked away unable to face what Ianto had just described, leaving Gwen and Owen standing awkwardly as Ianto searched their faces for a glimmer of hope. Instead of giving him false reassurance, Gwen and Owen remained silent, leaving it up to Jack to think of a suitable response.

"No you're not. You are not going to die."

"How can you be so sure? It's alright for you Jack. You get to live forever! How is that fair Jack? It's not fucking fair!" Ianto grabbed Jack by the collar and threw him backwards against the wall.

"You think I chose this!" Jack yelled as he released Ianto's grip from his neck. "I want to die. Every time I get dragged back from the darkness it feels like my soul is being mutilated over and over again, as it is shrouded amidst the flames of Hell. I didn't ask for this to happen. If I could change it I would." Jack gently wiped the tears from Ianto's face; slowly moving closer to him, Jack's hand wrapped around the back of Ianto's neck as he kissed him passionately on the lips. Ianto responded instantly, before softly pulling away to whisper an apology in Jack's ear.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Jack - I love you."

* * *

Owen followed Gwen away from the intensity of the HUB to retreat to the bay, when Gwen suddenly stopped mid step forcing Owen to come to a halt. Moving to place himself in front of Gwen, Owen studied her face puzzled as to why she had stopped, and then he saw a single tear fall onto her cheek. Gwen found herself unable to speak overcome with a deep sensation of loss, a feeling that she had not experienced to such an extreme extent before. The breeze from the bay was pleasant with the sun shining so powerfully on them both, filling the air with a reassuring warmth, but something told Owen that it wouldn't last for long. He raised his hand to wipe the tear from Gwen's face, when she looked him directly in the eyes seeing nothing but darkness. She lowered her head as tears of blood fell from her eyes; Owen looked on horrified by what he saw knowing that he should hold her tight until it was all over, but he was fixed to the spot.

"Gwen, look at me! Gwen please, look at me…" Owen begged, as fear filled his body. Instinctively he offered Gwen his hand, hoping that she would respond to him: the moment their skin touched the sky erupted and the heavens poured down on Gwen as she fell to her knees, the sun died and Cardiff bay was plunged into blackness. The ground below Owen's feet rumbled and shifted, separating him and Gwen with the entrance to hell.

"GWEN!" Owen screamed with all his soul, desperate to hold Gwen in the safety of his arms. At the mention of her name, Gwen's head rose instantly and her eyes fell upon Owen's panicked gaze, except she didn't appear to be the Gwen that Owen knew. Her face was smothered in blood and her hair sat in a dripping tangled mess on her shoulders; her expression was manic, but there was one thing that frightened Owen the most – Gwen's eyes glowed red. She knelt completely still with her hands raised out in front of her, still focusing her gaze upon Owen without blinking, her eyes didn't even twitch. As Owen studied Gwen closer, it didn't even appear that she was breathing; Gwen looked like death. Owen muttered Gwen's name, as his entire body filled with numbness – his heart ached.

* * *

"Jack, we need to take a look outside." Toshiko tried her best to remain composed, but she knew the team were not safe anymore.

Jack studied her face. He knew that Tosh was in fear of her life, as well as everyone else's. He tried not to let her know that she was right; "Why? Is there a party? Ooh is there fireworks? I love it when things go off with a bang."

"The police haven been bombarded with panicked phone calls. Jack, the sky is filled with darkness and it's the middle of the day. There is no sunlight, no moonlight, and no stars; there are not even any clouds in sight. It's just black."

"Ianto. Tosh. I think we'd better go outside." Jack walked over towards the HUB's lift and turned to face Ianto and Toshiko. "Let's take the scenic route shall we." Jack knew instinctively that it was not safe for either Ianto or Toshiko to take the conventional exit out of the HUB; he would not loose anyone, not today.

* * *

Owen was frozen in place as tears fell down his cheeks, overwhelmed with grief, for he had just witnessed his lover's death. He could not bear to look at Gwen's manic bloodstained face because that is not how she looked: Owen refused to remember Gwen as the lifeless body that knelt in front of him. How he longed to hold Gwen in his arms and see her beautiful smile; she couldn't be dead, he wouldn't believe it. Overcome with grief, Owen fell to his knees mourning the woman he had once loved as her limp body sat lifeless before him.

"GWEN!" Owen screamed with all his heart.

Rage burst from the core of his heart, filling his blood with an overwhelming urge to feel pain – physical pain – to ease the loss that he had witnessed. Owen desperately desired pain to comfort his broken heart; the thought of feeling his body burn slowly as he watched on helpless appealed to him more than anything in the world. He couldn't bear to live with the pain of losing yet another person he loved. Death is a cruel fiend stealing his lover's from his grasp, and he refused to let Death take anyone else from him. Instead, Death could feast upon him for as long as he pleased, in any way he pleased. Owen wanted to dance with Death himself.

Half possessed by grief, Owen rose to his feet and moved towards the edge colossal glowing crack in the earth that separated him from Gwen; his gaze still remained fixed upon her lifeless body. A single tear fell from his eye as he raised his foot over the edge, ready to greet Death with open arms.

"OWEN!" A voice bellowed from the darkness, forcing Owen to find his footing. "Owen, don't do it. You don't want to die, you know you don't. Just step away from the edge."

Owen's gaze shifted from Gwen's bloodstained body to the figures standing only a foot behind. Jack motioned forward, his familiar military coat floating out behind him as he walked. He came to a halt at the edge of the pit; he stood facing Owen holding his gaze for what felt like forever.

"She's dead Jack. Gwen's dead." Owen choked back the tears that threatened to turn him into an emotional wreck.

"Owen listen to me. Your life isn't over; make the most of it for Gwen's sake. She hasn't gone anywhere, not really. She'll still be in your heart for as long as you remember." Jack's voice carried melodically through the empty black air, the words soothing the aching in Owen's heart.

Owen couldn't bring himself to speak; instead he just stood there staring into the black abyss when the numbness he first felt returned. Jack looked into his eyes, finding a familiar friend – emptiness. Owen's soul was empty. As useless as he felt, Jack knew that he couldn't do anything for Owen; he had to get through it himself, or he would lose himself forever. However, there was one thing he could do; he had to get Gwen back to the HUB and clean her up, before he could lay her to rest. He owed her that much. Jack turned to see Gwen slumped on her knees, completely lifeless, soaked in blood and water. For a moment, Jack refused to believe she was dead, she seemed unrecognisable, she wasn't the Gwen Jack knew and loved. Hesitantly he looked up to see Ianto and Tosh walking towards her body with torches in their hands, Ianto skilfully tossed one to Jack while Tosh stood motionless staring at Owen's empty expression. Ianto moved closer to Jack until he could feel his breathe on his face; tears began to fall as he looked deep into Jack's eyes. Jack instantly pulled him into a hug. They were all completely broken up by their loss and there wasn't anything he could do to ease their pain. What he wouldn't do to be in Gwen's place. She had everything to live for, a loving boyfriend – Rhys…

Suddenly the earth rumbled and the crack separating Owen and Gwen closed, making each member of the team lose their balance. Shaken out of his grief stricken trance, Owen's gaze instantly shifted to Gwen, her body still as lifeless as it was before. _Gwen…_

Gwen looked towards heaven and her mouth instantly fell open releasing a scream. A scream so powerful it touched everyone's hearts, for it was the scream devoted to those who have been lost from this world. Jack recognised this scream instantly: it was the eternal scream; the scream found on the other side… The scream belonged to Death. This was the sound that Jack knew very well, but no matter how many times he heard it, he always feared it more than anything in the universe.

Ianto and Tosh could not believe their eyes, for just a moment ago Gwen had most definitely been dead.


End file.
